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Reviews: Fairfield Cty, Hartford, Boston [venue/attire]

I got married back in August and really wanted to wait a few months to let things settle before posting reviews. My reviews are short, so you can actually get through them. If you have any questions, page me or shoot me an email at jhkh09 at gmail dot com. I don't check the boards much these days so I might miss your page. Bride's dress: VOWS (Newton, MA) Met Expectations: yes Would Recommend: yes Overall Grade: A Vows is basically like a TJMaxx for wedding dresses. I got mine at 1/10th the list price, and couldn't be happier. I would recommend going elsewhere for the "bridey" experience, and to Vows when you want to get a great deal on your dress. I got a 'free' veil, which was nice (I didn't end up using it--my mom made mine). I did some shopping around at the now-closed Yolandas (Waltham, MA), Pricillas of Boston (Boston), The Plumed Serpent (Westport, CT), and Marie's Bridal (Fairfield, CT). Overall good experiences with each, but I didn't want to spend $4k on my dress. Bridesmaids Dresses: www.netbride.com Met Expectations: yes Would Recommend: yes overall Grade: A Netbride was great. My girls got measured, ordered the style online, and paid $129 including shipping for dresses that were listed as $250+ in various brick-and-mortar shops. Shipping was fast; dresses were due in June and came late April. Tuxes: Men's Warehouse (Alabama, Texas, Brighton MA, Westport CT, West Hartford, CT) Met Expectations: yes Would Recommend: sure Overall Grade: A- My husband already owned a tux, as did one other groomsman and our dads. So we just sent the rest of the guys to their closest MW to get measured, and they picked up tuxes in town. Some of the sleeves were a little long; MW had them altered by the next day. Rehearsal Dinner: Black Eyed Sally's (Hartford, CT) Met Expectations: almost Would Recommend: yes Overall Grade: A- My Texan inlaws wanted something casual, but nice, for the guests that "wasn't stuffy and New England." Black Eyed Sally's was the closest thing we could find in Central Connecticut. They were a little hard to pin down, and frankly, given that my father in law was footing the bill for the bar all night, the drink service could have been better-- they were really focused on the rest of the restaurant. To be fair, it was restaurant week in Hartford...but they had our party on the books for months and could have staffed more appropriately. Food was great, they accommodated our party of 40, and they didn't mind (much) that the ring bearer threw cornbread all over the stage because his mom drank too much (eye roll). If you're looking for something intimate, you won't find it at Black Eyed Sallys, but we had a great time. Ceremony: Venue: Chapel at Trinity College (Hartford, CT) Met Expectations: almost Would Recommend: yes Overall Grade: A- The chapel has a lot of restrictions, which we knew going in, so it's not the place to pick if you want a runner, flower petals, and rice thrown at you . I found the communication between the Reverend, the Chapel Assistant, and us to be really spotty, and the rehearsal was really unhelpful. That being said, everyone was incredibly wonderful to work with-- it just felt like they don't really do that many weddings and weren't really sure what to do with us! Reception: Venue: 960 Main/Gershon Fox/Marquee Catering (Hartford, CT) Met Expectations: (day of- yes) (planning process- no) Would Recomment: yes, with hesitation Overall Grade: (Day of- A) (planning process- D) Here's the deal. The wedding coordinator(s) at GFox were a pain to deal with from day one. I say coordinator(S) because our first one was let go mid way through the planning process. Our second one was really flakey, would say something over the phone and contradict herself weeks later, and by and large was really unprofessional...for the 7 months I planned my wedding. I felt like there was a 16 year old planning my several-thousand-dollar wedding. Up until the time I walked into the ballroom, I thought there was a 50/50 chance that my wedding wasn't going to happen. Papers didn't get signed, documents were lost, checks weren't cashed, emails were often left unanswered, etc. To be fair, my second coordinator was also getting married on my wedding day, so she was preoccupied in the weeks leading up to my wedding. BUT YOU THINK THEY COULD HAVE FOUND SOMEONE ELSE to take her place. I did not pay her to flake out on my wedding. Ahem. In any case, the night of my wedding, the catering manager [who is NOT involved in the planning process that drove me crazy!], Erik, and his team were absolutely incredible. The night was everything we had expected, and more. Erik and his team were worth the 7 months of headache leading up to the evening, and if you see the facility and fall in love, you can feel comfortable that things will turn out as you envision. I would caution you that Marquee Catering is new, and --at least when I dealt with them-- had minimal experience dealing with all of the clauses that are really important in wedding contracts. I drew up extensive documents that WOULD hold up in court, and they signed them without a problem.

Re: Reviews: Fairfield Cty, Hartford, Boston [venue/attire]

to add: I just checked GFox's website. They are now charging a lot more than they were this time last year... we would have spent over $3k more with our numbers. That being said, I don't know that it's worth the hassle (unless they get a new coordinator, in which case, go for it).

I just wanted to post a quick reply about Marquee Catering, and their wedding coordinator. I had a FANTASTIC experience with the coordinator, and any contact I had with her. I consider myself a pretty easy going person, and our relationship was great. In fact, we still keep in touch today - 4 months after my wedding. I would highly recommend having your wedding at the G. Fox Room - If you remember what your wedding day is truly about - you and your husband - the little things fall away, or at least they should.

HI!I also got married at the GFox room - but I had a great experience.Much like you - I was devestated when my coordinator was let go. This is until I realized how much better things were once she was gone. When she was there - I found I sometimes had to follow up with her on things etc. Once she left her replacement offered to meet with us to ease these fears. We met with her and Eric a few weeks later and things were fabulous. From that point on - they offered us unparalleled service. It was their experience and expertise that made things so beautiful.We met with Eric a few times during the process. I had issues I thought he could help me with - so I took his info and contaced him directly when need be - so I don't think future brides would have the issue of him not being included.Both Eric and Jessica really came through for us the entire time, but especially at the end, when we needed them most. When I could not meet my deadline to get my stuff handed over two days before, they worked with me to get eeverything set up a day late. When I had a million and one question's about the logistics and especially the seating plan, they answered them patiently - and even when I made a mistake with my seating cards, they fixed it for me during my reception.I am sorry you had a bad experience - but I can't say enough good things about this venue - and I"d HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY reccomend it! It is gorgeous and can give you the wedding you always dreamed of!

"I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough, I'm giving you all my love, I"m still looking up."

I wanted to respond to your critique to your reception venue. I was recently married and held my reception at the Gershon Fox I can honestly say that fron the moment i walked through the doors there i knew it was perfect for us and our wedding. The planning process was so easy we as well started out with Diana and Half way through she was let go however it in no way affected the level of service we recieved if anything we actually recieved far more attention than we had in the beginning. The coordinators Jessica and Erik who were both hand on in our planning process were with us every step of the way and were so helpful with everything right down to our hotel blocks!! I was in no way a bridezilla... i knew what i wanted but, knew little about all the details. Jessica and Erik were unbelievable when ever i called i would recieve a call back within the day You need to understand that you are not the only event taking place that year!!!!! Our food was superb, service unbelievable and they were a joy to deal with, they handled everything I enjoyed my wedding to the fullest and did not stress about a thing most people say you are so busy at your wedding you dont even eat. We ate, danced, drank and even made a point to individaully thank each one of our guest thats amazing!!!! I would highley recommend Gershon Fox for my next event Words cannot describe how special they truly made our day for us. One last side note as far as contract confusion It is a peice of paper that states everything and gives you a price you look it over sign it and pay the price its thats simple. I got married the weekend after the coordinator did and i honestly didnt know she was getting married because she was so diligent and professional when i learned she was i was so amazed that she could do all she did while planning her own wedding. Actually on the weekend of her wedding i had a question and left her a voicemail not expecting a callback and that night she actually called my back to answer the question!! Think about how tired you were on your wedding night would you have answered a phone call that is how amazing these coordiantors are. If anyone has any question i would love to speak to you!!!!!! [email protected]

Just a little feedback on my experience with the Gershon Fox Room.I had the pleasure of having my wedding reception at the Gershon Fox Room. I had never heard of it until my Mom came across it and told me I had to check it out. We went and checked it out and fell in love with the place. The history and the charm was just what we wanted in our old Hollywood theme wedding. We originally booked with one lady (Diana) and she was nice to work with but then was no longer there. (Jessica was there the entire time but in the beginning we worked with Diana) Then we had the pleasure to work with Jessica and Erik. They were both wonderful to work with and both always so eager to help. Jessica would respond to my emails at all hours of the day (even after hours!) she was always so willing to give advice and work with all the fine details that my family and I wanted to incorporate within our special day. Jessica was planning an August 2009 wedding during our planning with our August 2009 wedding and I found it to be very helpful for her to be able to relate to Bill and my needs. She was a bride herself therefore was aware of the nerves, the excitement and the needs a bride has when planning a wedding. I had the pleasure of talking and working with Jessica over the course of our 13 month engagement. I found the more I worked with Jessica the stronger our relationship became and we were more like friends instead of a business deal, which made the process much more enjoyable. The day of our wedding was amazing. Everything went perfectly. We stepped off the party bus to be greeted with a big hug from Jessica and Erik. It was such a nice welcoming. Jessica had the biggest smile on her face and she was truly excited for our day. She even came into the bathroom and helped my bridal party with my bustle on my dress! Jessica and Erik made sure that when we got inside we had water and any drink that we wished for. They also made sure we ate our full meals and had some alone time together (my hunny and me). Erik and Jessica were right by our side throughout the night to ensure we had everything we needed/wanted. The food was amazing. We heard nothing but great compliments about our reception. Everyone loved the food, the drinks and the atmosphere. We added a signature drink which all our guests loved and Jessica was so creative she came up with such a fun name for it. They also worked with our liquor requests to ensure we had everything our family members wanted. My sister is a vegan and is pregnant and they made her a special dish to meet her dietary needs. They even let me bring in a second cake (grooms cake) and cookies from another bakery who they do not usually work with. I found Jessica and Erik both very easy to work with and very willing to accommodate all of our needs. I = highly recommend the Gershon Fox Room. I have been married since August 22 and we still hear from Jessica. She was a wonderful addition to the Gershon Fox Room and any bride would be lucky to work with her (and Erik too!)!!

I got married at the Gershon Fox Room in May and had an absolutely wonderful experience. I highly recommend it, with no hesitations at all. And, like all the other repliers to the original post, I can't say enough good things about Jess. Here are just a few of the reasons I enjoyed working with her and the rest of the Marquee team:-Jess was always available and responsive. In fact several times I had to scold her for the long hours she was working. None of my questions went unanswered.-She was an incredible source of advice, going far above the call of duty to make sure I was happy with all of my vendors.-I had no problems whatsoever with the paperwork involved in the wedding. The contract was completely thorough as far as we were concerned.-I agree with the original post that said Erik is awesome. I started speaking with him more frequently later in the process. I can't imagine why he would have needed to be involved earlier on. Jess had everything fully under control.I am so sorry the bride who posted the first message had a bad experience. However, I have to say I was shocked to read her posting, because it is so hard for me to believe we had such different experiences. It's also difficult to see Jess get criticized in this manner since I know how much she cares about all her clients.If you don't believe me and all the other people who replied to the first message, just talk to the vendors in the Hartford area. Everywhere I went vendors told me I was in great hands with Jess--and they were right.To sum it up, I give my experience with Marquee and the Gershon Fox Room an A+. The food, setting and service all exceeded our expectations. I'd be happy to provide more comments about my experience. I can be reached at ferdy123 at yahoo dot com.Jen

I'm glad you all had such great experiences. Like I said in my review, on the day of my wedding, everything was great. It was all the pre-wedding coordination that was really unpleasant. Hopefully, anyone who books in the future has the same experiences you did. I wrote my review so that anyone having difficulty with the venue could be assured that it is mostly administrative, and that in the end, things turned out great. I would have felt a lot better about the whole scenario if I had others to reassure me!

My fiance and I are considering the gfox room! Based on reviews I've read recently it sounds like they have really hit their groove and doing a fantastic job.

I wanted to reach out regarding one of my concerns with this venue. I'm a little worried about foot traffic in the hallway outside the venue. I know it is a public walkway and people can cut through. I just wanted to make sure it's not a whole lot of people who can look in or my guests can see! It feels kind of like a fishbowl in there with those big windows! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!